Chapter 166: Three-Front Emergency, Crisis!

East Sea, 11:47 PM.

Waves were two meters high, visibility less than five hundred meters.

In the cockpit of the Coast Guard ship 3307, Captain Chen Hai stared at the flickering light spot on the radar screen, his face ashen.

"What's the distance?" he asked.

"1.2 nautical miles, still approaching." The radar operator's voice was tense.

"The other side's heading is directly toward us, speed... seven knots."

"Seven knots?" Chen Hai frowned. "Charging at us at seven knots in this weather? Are those Foot-Basin Chicken people suicidal?"

Outside the porthole, in the rain and fog, a 'survey ship' painted in white and blue could be vaguely seen.

But high-pressure water cannons had been added to the sides of the hull, and several people in orange life jackets were busy on the deck, their movements clearly well-trained and agile.

That was no ordinary civilian ship.

"Captain, they've sent a communication." The communications soldier turned.

"They say they are conducting an 'ocean scientific survey' and demand that we 'yield'."

"'Yield'?" Chen Hai laughed in anger. "This is our exclusive economic zone! Tell them to report their specific survey project and permit documents!"

The communications soldier operated for a moment, then replied: "They say... the documents are in the captain's cabin, and it's inconvenient to transmit them due to the heavy wind and waves."

Before the words were finished, the ship shook violently.

"Bang—!"

A high-pressure water column smashed into the port side of ship 3307, splashing water five or six meters high.

The cockpit glass instantly blurred.

"They've opened fire!" the lookout shouted.

Chen Hai rushed to the window, wiping the water off the glass.

The 'survey ship' had closed to within eight hundred meters, and the two water cannons on its bow were adjusting their angles, aiming at the cockpit of ship 3307.

"Motherf..." Chen Hai gritted his teeth.

"Notify the whole ship, prepare for impact! Hard left rudder, open up the distance!"

"Captain, orders from above!" the communications soldier suddenly shouted. "They require us to 'maintain restraint, avoid direct collision, and wait for support'!"

"Support?" Chen Hai stared at the ship getting closer and closer. "In this hellish weather, when will support arrive?"

Just then, the radar operator suddenly froze: "Captain... new targets."

On the radar screen, from the direction of the coast, three high-speed light spots were cutting through the waves.

Speed... forty-five knots.

"What kind of ship can go that fast?" Chen Hai narrowed his eyes.

A young, slightly cavalier voice came over the communication channel:

"Ship 3307, Ship 3307, this is the Dragon Chant Rapid Response Team, please respond if you receive."

Dragon Chant?

Chen Hai grabbed the microphone: "I am Captain Chen Hai of ship 3307. What formation are you?"

"Not a formation, just three small boats." The voice was cheerful.

"But we brought some good stuff on board. Captain Chen, please move back a bit, and just watch the show."

As the words fell, in the rain curtain, three black-painted speedboats cut into the battlefield like ghosts.

They were not large, about fifteen meters long each, but their design was extremely bizarre:

The hull was low, with no traditional cabin, only a streamlined cockpit cover.

The bow was not pointed, but flat, and mounted with some kind of polyhedral device.

The most bizarre thing was their sailing posture; in such heavy waves, the hulls barely rose and fell with the waves, as if stuck to the surface of the sea, perfectly stable.

The 'survey ship' clearly noticed the anomaly, and the water cannons turned, aiming at the three suddenly appearing speedboats.

High-pressure water columns shot out.

Then, a scene Chen Hai would never forget occurred.

The water columns, twenty meters away from the speedboats, suddenly... dispersed.

Like hitting an invisible wall, the water splashed in all directions, but not a single drop fell on the speedboats.

"Holy crap?" In the cockpit of ship 3307, several crew members cursed simultaneously.

In the communication channel, that young voice sounded again: "Oh, sorry, forgot to turn on the 'windshield wipers'."

The next second, the polyhedral devices on the bows of the three speedboats lit up with a faint blue light simultaneously.

The water columns shooting at them vaporized in mid-air.

White water vapor instantly filled the air, then was blown away by the sea breeze.

The people on the 'survey ship' were clearly stunned.

The water cannons stopped for a few seconds, then sprayed even more frantically.

But it was useless.

All water columns vaporized within twenty meters of the speedboats, the steam forming eerie halos in the searchlight beams, the speedboats looking like they were gliding on the sea wearing halos.

"Had enough fun?" the young voice said. "Our turn."

The three speedboats suddenly accelerated, surrounding the 'survey ship' in a triangular formation.

When the distance closed to three hundred meters, the devices on the bows lit up with dark red light spots again.

Three red lines, almost invisible to the naked eye, shot precisely at the bases of the 'survey ship's' water cannons.

There was no sound, no explosion.

But the barrels of the two high-pressure water cannons began to turn red and deform within seconds, then sagged like melting candles.

The deck of the 'survey ship' was in chaos.

Someone tried to start the fire hose, but as soon as the hose was connected, the red lines from the speedboats swept over, melting the hose connector and spraying the operators with water.

"Communication interference deployed." A calm voice replaced the previous one in the channel.

"The other side is in radio silence. Captain Chen, please send people to board and control the situation. Note, the crew may be armed."

Chen Hai finally reacted: "Board, board the ship?"

"Don't worry, they shouldn't have any ability to resist now."

Chen Hai looked through his binoculars.

On the cockpit glass of the 'survey ship', several palm-sized metal plates had been stuck on at some point, as if shot there remotely.

Fine arcs of electricity flickered at the edges of the metal plates, and the electronic equipment in the entire cockpit had clearly been paralyzed.

"Xiao Zhang, Xiao Li, take the first team, prepare to board!" Chen Hai ordered.

Five minutes later, when the coast guard members boarded the 'survey ship' that had completely stopped firing, they found all the crew members paralyzed on the deck.

Although their consciousness was still relatively clear, their limbs were weak, and they couldn't even stand up.

A young coast guard picked up a crew member's headset to listen, then reported with a strange expression: "Captain, they were playing... infrasound waves on a loop, at a frequency that just happens to make the human body feel dizzy."

Chen Hai looked at the three speedboats that had already turned and left, and asked in the channel: "What... what unit are you exactly?"

The young voice replied with a laugh: "Dragon Chant Research Institute, Maritime Test Platform. Just out for a test run today, lucky enough to run into a target."

The communication cut off.

Chen Hai stood in the cockpit, looking at the captured 'survey ship', then looked at the three light spots moving away on the radar, and for a long time, muttered to himself:

"This world... has really changed."

At the same time, southwest border, altitude 4,700 meters.

In the temporary command post of the 7th Mountain Brigade of the White Elephant border troops, Brigade Commander Colonel Singh was staring at the electronic map.

On the map, the blue arrows representing their own troops had penetrated 15 kilometers past the line of actual control, establishing three 'temporary observation points'.

"What is the reaction from the Dragon Country?" Singh asked.

"The border patrol has retreated five kilometers," the staff officer replied.

"Their outposts have strengthened their guard, but there are no signs of troop reinforcements."

A smile appeared on the corner of Singh's mouth.

Just as the Eagle Country advisor said: the Dragon Country's attention is now on the East Sea and South Sea; they wouldn't dare easily open a second battlefield in the southwest.

"Let the 3rd Battalion continue to advance, another five kilometers forward," Singh ordered.

"Send up the improved 'Mountain Hound' exoskeleton company newly provided by Eagle Country to show off some deterrence."

"Yes!"

The order was issued.

Half an hour later, a vanguard team of thirty soldiers, wearing gray-green painted 'Mountain Hound' exoskeletons, began to push deeper into the valley.

They moved agilely, walking on the rugged mountain terrain as if it were flat ground.

The exoskeleton's assistance system allowed each person to carry an extra fifty kilograms of equipment, including anti-tank missiles, heavy machine guns, and a set of portable electronic warfare equipment.

The team was led by a young lieutenant, who reported to the rear through the exoskeleton helmet's built-in communicator: "Reached the designated position. No Dragon Country troops found. Preparing to set up radar."

The soldiers began to unload their equipment.

Just then, the sensors in the lieutenant's helmet suddenly emitted a faint hum.

"What's that sound?" he asked.

"Maybe the wind..." The soldier next to him didn't finish his sentence before suddenly freezing.

Under the moonlight, on the ridges on both sides of the valley, more than a dozen tall silhouettes appeared silently.

Three stories high, looking like humans, only the metal shells had a dull luster under the moonlight.

On their shoulders, some kind of device was slowly rotating, emitting an almost inaudible mechanical transmission sound.

The lieutenant's heart began to pound wildly.

He recognized those silhouettes; in the intelligence data provided by Eagle Country, those were the Dragon Country's 'Bi'an' mechs.

Theoretically, they should still be in the testing phase, with only a few, impossible to be equipped on a large scale!

"Retreat! Everyone retre—" His shout stopped abruptly.

Because those mechs raised their right arms simultaneously.

No firing.

No missiles, no shells.

But the lieutenant felt an invisible pressure surging from all directions, as if the air in the entire valley had suddenly become viscous.

He was wearing an exoskeleton, and logically, his movement shouldn't be affected, but now even lifting his legs was difficult.

"Gravity field... they are using a gravity field to suppress us!" The lieutenant finally remembered the possibility mentioned by the Eagle Country advisor.

The Dragon Country was testing some kind of local gravity control technology!

But wasn't it said that it was just a laboratory concept?!

"Unable to move!"

"Communication interrupted!"

"Exoskeleton power system alarm—energy is draining!"

The soldiers' exclamations exploded in the communication channel.

The lieutenant watched helplessly as the energy indicator bar of his exoskeleton dropped from full to half in just ten seconds.

And those mechs began to walk down from the ridge.

Their footsteps were heavy, each step making the ground tremble slightly. Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters...

When the nearest mech walked to within five meters, the lieutenant saw the logo on its chest:

A coiling dragon, with the two Chinese characters 'Dragon Chant' written below.

The mech lowered its head, and the 'eyes' composed of optical sensors emitted a faint red light, scanning the lieutenant's face.

Then, the mech raised its hand and made a gesture—a very simple action: index finger raised, shaking left and right.

Meaning: You guys aren't much either.

Immediately after, several small launchers popped out from the mech's shoulder, firing more than a dozen large nets flashing with arcs of electricity, precisely covering all the White Elephant soldiers.

The exoskeletons crackled in the electric nets, the systems completely paralyzed.

The lieutenant was wrapped in the net and fell to the ground; the last image he saw was:

Those mechs turned and left, leaving behind two slightly smaller 'Iron Wolf' exoskeletons, which began to methodically confiscate their equipment.

The whole process took less than three minutes.

Not a single gunshot was fired.

South Sea, 2:00 AM.

On the bridge of the aircraft carrier 'Carl Vinson', Rear Admiral Rogers stared at the satellite images.

The images showed no unusual troop movements by the Dragon Country's garrison on the South Sea reefs.

Several frigates were on routine patrol, and there was no unusual fighter activity in the air.

"They are very composed," the adjutant said.

"Not composed," Rogers shook his head. "They are waiting for us to make the first move."

He walked to the nautical chart, pointing his finger at the designated exercise area:

"'Freedom of Navigation Operations' will proceed as planned. Have the Burke-class move out to the twelve-nautical-mile line, launch carrier aircraft, and conduct close-in reconnaissance."

"What if the Dragon Country intercepts?"

"Then let's see what they use to intercept," a sharp glint flashed in Rogers' eyes.

"The purpose of this joint operation is to figure out their defense system and reaction patterns. The Foot-Basin Chicken and the White Elephant have already made their moves; now it's our turn."

The order was issued.

Two F-35Cs were launched from the carrier deck and flew toward the Dragon Country's reefs.

In the cockpit, pilot Jack looked at the radar screen and opened the encrypted channel:

"Eagle Nest, Eagle Nest, this is Sharp Knife 1-1, approaching the target area. Radar is clean, no anomalies detected."

"Stay alert," the command center responded. "The Dragon Country might use new stealth drones or..."

Before he could finish.

Jack suddenly saw a light rise on the sea level ahead.

A straight, stable, hair-thin blue beam of light shot from the direction of a reef, piercing the night sky.

"What is that?" his wingman exclaimed.

The beam paused in the night sky for a second, then suddenly turned.

Like someone drawing a line in the sky with a laser pointer, the beam drew a perfect arc in the air, sweeping toward the two F-35s.

"Evasive maneuvers, fast!" Jack instinctively pulled the stick.

But the beam was too fast.

It didn't hit the planes, but precisely drew a horizontal line three hundred meters in front of the two F-35s.

Then, the beam disappeared.

Jack watched the front in shock; in the air, a visible blue trail composed of ionized gas remained, like a warning line across the night sky.

A shout came from the ground command center in the communication channel: "Sharp Knife 1-1, high-temperature plasma trail detected in front of you!"

"Do not cross! Repeat, do not cross!"

"What the hell is that thing?!" the wingman's voice was trembling.

Jack stared at the blue line slowly dissipating, and suddenly understood.

That was not an attack.

It was drawing a line.

Meaning: You cannot cross this line. Cross it, and bear the consequences!

Dragon Chant Research Institute Command Center, 3:00 AM.

The large screen displayed real-time images of the East Sea, Southwest, and South Sea in three separate areas.

Feng Yan stood before the screen, with Li Yang, Chen Guang, and Wang Hao standing behind him.

"East Sea direction, captured one 'survey ship', thirty-seven crew members, and seized a batch of electronic reconnaissance equipment," Chen Guang reported.

"No casualties on our side, coast guard ship has minor scratches."

"Southwest direction, captured thirty members of the White Elephant exoskeleton vanguard, seized thirty sets of 'Mountain Hound-Type 2' exoskeletons intact, along with supporting weapons and electronic warfare equipment," Li Yang said.

"'Bi'an' mechs used gravity field suppression and electric net capture; no firing. White Elephant follow-up troops have stopped advancing."

"South Sea direction," Chen Guang switched the screen.

"Two Eagle Country F-35s turned back under our warning. 'Torch Dragon's Eye' laser system demonstrated plasma trail warning capability; no actual interception."

Wang Hao rubbed his hands: "Too restrained, Brother Feng? I still wanted to try my new missiles!"

Feng Yan didn't speak. He pulled up another screen—it was real-time monitoring of domestic online public opinion.

Of the top ten trending searches, seven were related to tonight's events:

#CompleteVictoryInEastSeaStandoff#

#MysteriousMechsAppearOnSouthwestBorder#

#LaserLineAppearsInSouthSeaNightSky#

#ThisGenerationIsTrulyDifferent#

#WhatIsTheExperienceOfTechnicalCrushing#

#HistoryWillRememberTonight#

#HowManyBlackTechnologiesDoesDragonChantHave#

In the comment sections, several comments with hundreds of thousands of likes:

"My grandfather was a veteran of the War of Resistance, he passed away last year. Just now I said to his photo: Grandpa, our ships can now drag other people's ships back."

"I was a soldier on the southwest border, standing guard at minus twenty degrees, my feet were frozen numb. Just now seeing the scene of the mechs appearing, I cried. From now on, our children won't have to block gun barrels with their flesh and blood."

"I'm not a military fan, but I can understand that laser line—it means: No passing at my front door."

Feng Yan turned off the screen and turned to face the team.

In the command center, there were other project group members, dozens of eyes looking at him.

"Three lines, we have held them all," Feng Yan said slowly.

"But this is not the end, but a beginning. They were just probing today; next, they are very likely to escalate."

He walked to the strategic map and drew circles in three locations with a red marker.

"East Sea direction, the Foot-Basin Chicken suffered a loss, they might use air power."

"Southwest direction, the White Elephant lost face, they might send more troops."

"South Sea direction, Eagle Country's demonstration failed, they might use more aggressive methods to save face."

He put down the pen: "What we need to do is not passive defense, but active response."

"How to respond?" Wang Hao asked.

Feng Yan looked at him, then at Li Yang, Chen Guang, Zhao Kaiyuan, Zhao Gong, Li Kui, and everyone in the command center.

"Use the way they fear most."

"Tell them—"

"We have seen through your script."

"Now, we are going to act according to our script." ===== CHAPTER 167 =====